Met Gala theme 2026, red carpet live updates: Stars arrive in ‘costume art’ as biggest fashion event begins

Anticipating is building for Beyonce’s entrance, and Queen Bey is fashionably late – as is her right. Expect her to be one of the last celebs to walk up that red carpet, you always wait for the biggest stars.

As one of this year’s co-hosts, all eyes will be on Beyonce, and with the added swirl of questions over whether she’ll be the musical performer, and if she’ll use the occasion to launch the new album that is tantalisingly around the corner.

Margot Robbie is in a gold Chanel dress with an elaborate train all the way down her back that took, according to Vogue, 761 hours to make. It features more than 1000 pieces of embroidery.

Pop chanteuse Sabrina Carpenter is wearing a Dior sculptural piece that has been stitched together from film stock.

She name-checked designer Jonathan Anderson, who recently took over the creative reigns at Dior.

Serena Williams has won a lot of hardware throughout her career so it’s not a stretch to see her turn up as a prize. She said Marc Jacobs was inspired by statues for her look.

Olympian Eileen Gu wore a bubble-covered dress with real bubbles floating behind her as she arrived.

Hailey Bieber is going for a superhero look. She stepped in a gold breastplate coupled with a flowing peacock blue chiffon skirt.

It’s a Kardashian-Jenner! Once shunned, the clan are now stalwarts of the Met Gala.

Kylie Jenner, sans Timmy, has sashayed in in a nude, sculptural Schiaparelli gown.

Supermodel Heidi Klum gets an A+ for effort as she arrived looking like a moving statue.

The star, known for wearing extravagant costume looks at her annual Halloween party, did not disappoint at the Met Gala.

Game of Thrones and Wednesday star Gwendoline Christie can always be relied on to bring a splash of colour and personality to the Met Gala red carpet and she did not disappoint.

Working with British designer Giles Deacon, Christie is an elaborate scarlet red gown with a feathered headpiece. But the most striking detail is the mask of her own face she’s carrying as an accessory. It was created by British artists Gillian Wearing.

Christie told Vogue, “What I love about it is that it isn’t just one thing, it’s not just the mask, it isn’t just a mirror, it’s so many thing. Is it a shield? Is it an expression?”.

Someone really went all in on the theme.

Olivia Wilde is here in an off-shoulder black Thom Browne gown with a white tulle train.

Wilde has a film coming out later this year called The Invite, which premiered at Sundance in January.